11/06/08
Roads and Parking
Please drive slow: 20 mph on Heartwood Lane and 10 mph near the cluster. Driving too fast endangers children and animals and creates the washboard effect on the road.
The pathways within the cluster are intended primarily for pedestrians and emergency vehicle access. It’s fine to bring cars and trucks onto the pathways for deliveries, but they should be removed right away.
When parking please leave plenty of room for cars to get in and out of carports.
Please let your visitors know about these guidelines.
Water
We have two water systems: one for domestic water, which comes from our three wells; the other is for irrigation water, which comes from the irrigation ditch in the pasture and only runs during the summer. Our water is very precious so we ask everyone to conserve it. Be alert to any dripping faucets, running toilets, etc. The well water is more precious than the irrigation water so please don’t use well (domestic) water for landscaping.
Barry oversees our water systems and conducts water quality tests annually on the domestic water. In his report, he will alert us to any quality or health concerns. In the past, the fluoride level in the water was high, but still acceptable. The main concern with fluoride is that too much of it will permanently stain children’s teeth. We are required to treat our domestic water with chlorine. Because of these chemicals in the water, many people choose to filter their water. Barry can provide you with information on different filter options.
Septic
We have our own community septic system. Each house has its own septic tank buried somewhere in its yard. From there, the effluent goes to one of four lift stations which pump it up to an evapotranspiration (ET) bed. The Common Facilities team schedules the pumping of the individual septic tanks (about once every four years). Be sure you learn where your septic tank access is before doing landscaping so there will be no problems when it comes time to pump your septic tank. To maintain the health of the septic tank bacteria, avoid putting excess grease or soap down the drain.
Garden Carts
Most garden carts are assigned to a particular area of the cluster (N, E, C, W). If a cart is so labeled, please leave it in that area. In all cases, please leave the carts on the pathways or in parking lots so they are readily available for others.
Each cart has been adopted by a cart caregiver. If you notice a cart that needs some maintenance, please let the caregiver know (or do it yourself). The list of cart caregivers i son the common house bulletin board.
Hot Tub
See Hot Tub Guidelines.
Yurt
The yurt is available for special events. Check with the Common House team to reserve it.
Resource Area and Burn Pile
Just down the hill from the visitor parking lot is an area we call the resource pile. Generally speaking, it is an area for old stuff that is probably still of use to someone. Most of the stuff there is available for anyone to take and use, but not all of it so please check with someone on the Land Stewardship team before taking anything. Please only donate things to the resource area that is very likely to be of use to someone (no junk).
If you have things that you want to store on community land, check in with the appropriate team first.
There’s a burn pile in the middle of the resource area. You can throw burnable junk (pulled weeds, busted up lumber, etc) on the pile.
Trash and Recycling
There’s a dumpster in the east parking lot that gets emptied twice a week. There’s a cardboard recycling bin near the dumpster. All other recycling, you must do yourself. Please don’t put your recycling in the common house recycling bins. Those are only for common meals and other community events. There is currently no recycling center in Bayfield. The closest is in Durango.
Compost
Many households have compost bins in their yards. If you don’t have your own compost bin, you can probably arrange to put your compost in a neighbor’s bin or give it to the chickens. Check with one of the chicken people if you want to give your compost to the chickens. If you put a compost bin in your yard, please make sure that it’s dog-proof and preferably bear-proof and please be considerate of your neighbors when choosing a location for it.
Trails
So far we have a few miles of trails. We are building more and more trails every year. The trails are intended for walking, bike riding, and horseback riding. Please only ride bikes on the trails and roads; i.e., don’t go bushwhacking on a bike. Recreational use of motorized vehicles is not allowed anywhere on Heartwood land.
Stay off of the trails when they are muddy. It will ruin the trails and our mud is so nasty here that you probably wouldn’t really want to use them then anyway.
In the winter, hikers and snowshoers should try to avoid walking on the cross country ski tracks and the cross country skiers should try to keep their tracks to one side of the trail to make that possible.
Wildlife
There are deer, bears, coyotes, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions in the area. The deer tend to eat our landscaping so fence any trees or shrubs you don’t want damaged. We have also used a product called “Deer Off” with some success.
If you get bit by a rattlesnake, call the hospital to let them know you are on the way. If you see a rattlesnake in the cluster and you feel comfortable doing so, please remove it to somewhere people are less likely to encounter it.
We have not had any problem with bears yet, but compost, garbage, bird feeders, BBQ grills, dog food, etc. all attract them so keep that in mind when adding any of those things.